The story of the Transfiguration is told in Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-38 and 2 Peter 1:16-18. Some believe it is also referenced by John 1:14, “We looked upon His glory (His Sh’khinah), the (Sh’khinah) of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Because of some important concepts and names mentioned in this article, I am mainly quoting from the Tree of Life Version (TLV), the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), or a composite of both (as in the quote above).

The Transfiguration was a most remarkable event in the earthly life of the Messiah, first known to His disciples simply as their Rabbi, Yeshua Ben-Yosef (John 6:42 CJB – translated as ‘Jesus, son of Joseph’).  Matthew’s and Mark’s time-setting of the event “after 6 days” differs from Luke’s “after 8 days”, but otherwise the accounts complement each other beautifully.  The Gospel writers were perhaps using different milestone events of Yeshua’s ministry to place this extraordinary one in sequence.

Be that as it may, this unique event brought into popular usage the word ‘transfiguration’, meaning “a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful … state”, exemplified according to the hyperlinked article by “Christ’s appearance in radiant glory to three of His disciples.”

One Shabbat in July 2018, while I worshipped the LORD with the congregation, the Transfiguration story came flooding back into my mind, with certain newly inspired thoughts about it. I believe the Holy Spirit was preaching a timely message to me, which I want to share with you.

These were the points of His message, enumerated 1-6 below as they came to me, 1 and 6 being followed by the validation that I found afterwards, as I put my own spiritual hearing to the test of scripture like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11).

(1) Yeshua’s selection of Simon/ Peter, James and John (actually Shim’on/ Kefa, Ya’akov and Yochanan) to witness His transfiguration was not because He loved them more than the other disciples. In fact it was partly due to Yeshua’s insight into their characters, personalities and aptitudes, and partly a response to their following after Him more fervently than the others, seeking to know and understand Him better.

The Synoptic Gospels indicate that Peter, James and John were the first men Yeshua had called to discipleship, and they had “immediately” left their fishing livelihoods behind to follow this new Rabbi, captivated by His promise to transform them into “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18-20, Mark 1:16-18, Luke 5:10-11). Note that this James was the elder brother of John (the John who wrote the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John and the Revelation). Both were sons of a fisherman named Zebedee (Zavdai), whose family may have had priestly connections (as suggested by Acts 4:6 and John 18:15). Also, it was Yeshua who changed Simon’s (Shim’on’s) name to Peter (Kefa) as noted below.

By the time of the Transfiguration, these men had grown closer to Yeshua than the other disciples had.  The Matthew and Mark references above actually say that Simon’s brother Andrew had also been called by Yeshua when Simon was. Also, John’s Gospel reveals that Andrew was originally a disciple of John the Immerser (the Baptist), at whose testimony Andrew had first followed Yeshua and brought Simon to Him (John 1:35-42). Then, at verses 43-49 we read of Yeshua meeting Philip and Nathanael the very next day. Yet neither Andrew, Philip nor Nathanael is mentioned even half as many times in active roles of the Gospel accounts as are Simon/ Peter, James and John.  Andrew is only mentioned in four other incidents, Philip in four and Nathaniel in only one, even though they had been with Yeshua for practically as long as Peter, James and John.

Peter, James and John are mentioned in activity or conversation with Yeshua many different times; asking questions, making suggestions, taking initiatives, being ‘drossed’ and having their rough edges smoothed (Matthew 16:22-23, Mark 10:35-45, John 18:10-11), receiving One-on-three ‘internship’ coaching when Yeshua would take only them on certain intense ministry rounds with Him (e.g. Luke 8:51-55). So when at Matthew 10:2 we read the list of Yeshua’s 12 disciples, it’s no surprise that it starts with: “First, Shim‘on, called Kefa … Ya‘akov Ben-Zavdai (son of Zebedee) and Yochanan his brother…”

At John 1:42 we read that the very first time Yeshua looked at Simon He declared, “You are Shim’on Bar-Yochanan (Simon son of John). You shall be called Kefa.” Kefa is an Aramaic name meaning ‘small rock’, or ‘stone’. Having just met Simon, Yeshua immediately acknowledged in him the potential to be built up into the ‘leader of the pack’ (as one writer puts it) … that rock which the Holy Spirit would later use in beginning to build Yeshua’s wider Messianic community, the ‘ecclesia’, the ones ‘called out’ from traditional Judaism and from paganism (see Acts 1:15-15:22).

(2) This selection of Peter, James and John does not reflect negatively on the other disciples; it just called forward those with the aptitude to lead, to break new ground and cut a path for others to follow.  In God’s kingdom, followers are just as important as leaders.

(3) Peter, James and John – because they had drawn closest to Yeshua – were the best positioned to receive, understand and disseminate the revelations presented on the Mount of Transfiguration. However, the benefit was not for them; it was for all the disciples, and ultimately for the entire Body of Messiah.

(4) Yeshua could have opted to take all twelve with Him to the Mount (for example to mitigate the arousal of jealousy) but He chose to call only those He judged to be ready for further revelation at that time.

(5) His way of protecting them against negative reactions from the others was to instruct them not to share about the experience until after “the Son of Man is raised from the dead,” at which time the others would be ready for this revelation.

(6) The readiness of Peter, James and John to witness the Transfiguration included their readiness to accept the link between the Torah and the Prophets (represented by Moses and Elijah) and Yeshua as the fulfillment of both; and their readiness to accept the revelation of Yeshua stepping into His rightful place of sovereignty over the Law and the Prophets – as God is sovereign over the instruments of revelation that He uses.

Very few in Israel were ready at that time to even consider such concepts. Although Yeshua’s miracles had been widely witnessed and had blessed untold numbers of people, when He declared His divine superiority over the Hebrew patriarchs that was too much for the average Jews to wrap their heads around. In John 6 we read of Yeshua meeting the people’s needs by healing the sick, teaching them what He judged they could learn, feeding over 5,000 of them, calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and returning to land to continue serving them. But by the time we get to John 8 we see Him being challenged by even those who had earlier trusted in Him (verse 31). The closer Yeshua came to declaring His divinity and supremacy, the more hostile the leaders of the people became, to the point where we read:

 ⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was thrilled.”

⁵⁷ Then the Judeans said to Him, “You’re not even fifty years old and you’ve seen Abraham?”

 “Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!”

⁵⁹ Then they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Yeshua hid Himself and went out from the Temple.

So, going back to Peter, James, John and what they witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration, we can appreciate why Yeshua told them not to tell anyone of it until he had been raised from the dead – until those who could believe had that final validation of all that He had said to them, the proof of His divinity. Until then, Peter, James and John could only discuss this Transfiguration among themselves and with Yeshua, Whom they began to question about it immediately afterwards. Despite Peter’s own revelation that Yeshua was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16) they had to wait until those who simply believed in Yeshua as a miracle-working prophet were ready to accept the revelation of Him as the divine fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets – the one of Whom YHVH was now saying, “Listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5)

Out of the brief inspiration that led to this article, I received from the Lord a specific rhema for my congregation, which I delivered to them at the very next opportunity. However, this write-up is not for them; it’s for you. May the Holy Spirit speak to your heart whatever will bless you most from the scriptures and meditations I have shared. Amen.